The Painting On The Wall

Alex had grown up looking at a painting on the side of an abandoned building in town. The image was of a staircase with the different stages of life on each step. As a child, he promised himself he would live out all the stages. But things weren't always so bright.

Throughout elementary and middle school he was bullied mercilessly. In high school the pressure of studies and the continued bullying got to him and he snapped. He wrote a note and walked out to the abandoned building with the painting on it. Maybe some part of him hoped that the painting would save him. But he just felt a tang of guilt. His depression was too overwhelming. He climbed to the roof and gazed down off the edge. Suddenly he heard a person whisper, "That won't solve anything dear child."

He teetered and jumped back down. Looking around he saw a wizened old man sitting in a corner. He beckoned Alex closer. Alex meekly went and sat by his side.

"I drew that painting in the hope that it would one day save a life. if you truly wanted to kill yourself, you wouldn't have come to look at it again, Believe me child, there's a lot left to live for. High school's only 4 years. You have a life after that too. Family and friends."

Alex saw the wisdom. And he decided that he could give it a shot.